Uma Nair’s new exhibition ‘I Have a Dream’ opens at Masha Art

The exhibition titled ‘I Have a Dream’ recently opened at Masha Art, Camellias, Gurgaon. It will run till the end of May 2022. Curated by Uma Nair, the show straddles paintings, sculptures and ceramics presenting 18 women artists and is dedicated to the memories of Jyotsna Bhatt, potter, and Rini Dhumal, printmaker, artist, and creator extraordinaire.

“I have always believed that an important part of a curator’s function is to test out unexplored possibilities for locating, nurturing, and presenting art in a manner never done before. I must explore materials and mediums and celebrate women artists,” Uma Nair explains.

Founded 4 years ago by Priyanka Kheterpal and Samarth Mathur, Masha Art has played a key role in developing and structuring the collective vision of the contemporary art scene in India and abroad. Today, with its two spaces in the heart of Delhi at Emporio and a space in Camellias DLF, Gurgaon, Masha Art counts as one of the most active contemporary art galleries in India. The underlying objective of Masha Art is to give art collectors, artists and art lovers the opportunity to engage with new audiences, providing them the national/global platform they deserve.

The major highlights of the exhibition include Jayasri Burman's ‘Shringar 1’—a bronze sculpture specifically created for the show—Nutan Pandit's untitled work in a modernist Giacometti insignia of inspiration, Jyotsna Bhatt's 20 year old ceramic ware, Leena Batra's platters, seminal abstract artists as well as Seema Koli's ‘Ganesha,’ and Arpitha Reddy's ‘Kalpavriksha’. “I want to create a synergy that celebrates the identity of the woman artist and transcends time and tradition,” asserts Nair who has spent 32 years writing as a critic and close to 20 years as a curator.

After having curated the Women Artist's show at NGMA last year, Nair is chuffed to bring her work to Masha Art. “The world has millions of stories about women artists who struggle to find a style that matches their vision. All artists I feel must echo the philosophy of Francis Picabia who said artists ‘must express the emotion which nature makes them feel without the least care for technique’ in order to reach their goals,” explains Nair who has carefully picked women artists that have found their own pictorial freedom. She adds, “I am looking at a show that exemplifies purity of thoughts in painting, sculpture, textile and ceramics. I am fortunate that Jayasri Burman gave me a fresh sculpture from the casting studio.”

‘I Have a Dream’ was inaugurated by Meera Muzaffar Ali and Amitabh Kant.